


Come Back To Me

by GoldenSparrow



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Getting Together, Hurt, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24380260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenSparrow/pseuds/GoldenSparrow
Summary: Katara and Aang's relationship through multiple points of view.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 124





	1. Katara

When Katara saw him get shot from the sky a little piece of her shattered. He was ok, she chanted in her mind while summoning up a tsunami of water. He was ok. Hurt, but ok. He had to be, she didn't know what she would do if he was- no, she couldn't even think it. He dropped into her arms, dead weight, and she had a sinking feeling in her gut. She wasn’t strong enough to carry him out of here before the firebenders reached them. She couldn’t leave him though, even if their odds of survival were slim to none. 

Her feet hit the floor after what seemed like a millennium and she grabbed on to Aang tighter, determined to at least go down fighting. There was a cave behind her and if she could just get them to it- Zuko’s uncle was in front of her suddenly, and she had a half a second of fear before realizing he was on their side. “Go!” He yelled at them, shooting an arc of fire at the Fire Nation soldiers still advancing.

Dragging Aang’s limp form through the cave’s outlet was one of the most trying moments of her life. Katara’s strength had given out not even three feet from the entrance, Aang had grown so much in the time they’d known each other and he was solid with muscle. Now, she moved forward from sheer willpower alone. They would reach the exit and Sokka would be waiting for them. That’s what would happen, no ifs, ands, or buts.

She was shaking like a leaf by the time they reached the exit and stepped into the fresh air, the sweat on her brow slipping down and into her eyes. They’d made it, now she just had to find their friends. Spirits, she hoped they were close. She was about to attempt to start moving again when Appa’s dull roar sounded and he appeared over the ledge. Sokka yelled her name from the flying bisons back and then by some miracle she was running with Aang clutched to her side. Katara mustered up every single ounce of strength she had suddenly brought to life and propelled them over the ledge and onto Appa’s plush head.

They were safe now, thank god. At least, relatively safe; Aang was still limp in her arms and she laid him back to check his breathing. Sokka stuck his head over the saddle to look at them, “Oh my god, Katara, tell me he’s not-”. The sound of his voice was heartbreaking and she couldn’t handle that right now, not when Aang wasn’t breathing, so she tuned her brother out. This couldn’t be happening, he was her best friend, her partner, he couldn’t just be gone.

She pulled the spirit water from around her neck and prayed to anyone listening that this would bring him back. Katara bent the water into her hand, pulling it into a tight, never ending loop. She held it above her palm and pulled Aang to her as gently as she could. With all of the healing power she could muster she took the spirit water and sunk it right into his wound, which was red and swollen and ugly. Before her eyes, however, the wound seemed to change the tiniest bit, more pink than red and slightly less swollen. It looked less angry now and Katara leaned him back so she could look at his face. So she could see if his life had returned.

Just as she was resting him against Appa Aang let out a gasp and his eyes opened slightly. He looked confused but when his eyes landed on Katara he gave a small smile. A small sob escaped her when his eyes closed again, so relieved he was alive that she couldn’t hold her pain in anymore. 

Katara hated to move him from where he was but she needed to get him into the saddle where the changes of him falling out were much lower. Once she had him situated she turned to Sokka and Toph who were both silently waiting and sad, “I think we should find dad now, Aang needs a safe space to heal that’s indoors.” They both took in deep breaths to say something, but before they could she said, “I’m going to work on trying to heal him more, why don’t you navigate, Sokka. Toph, you can sleep for now if you’d like.” It was clear from the tone in her voice that the conversation was over, and nothing more was said while she got to work trying to heal Aang.

___

When they landed on the Fire Nation ship her father had commandeered she was exhausted, she hadn’t slept at all in the two days it had taken to get there, too busy watching Aang and making sure he was comfortable. Her father was waiting for them, along with a few others, and Sokka hopped down first, hugging their dad. Toph followed him down to the dark metal of the deck, falling like a boulder and hitting the floor with a mighty clang.

Katara took her time getting down, making sure everything she needed was strapped to her back, and then doing her best to slide down to the deck on Appa’s tail without dropping Aang. Her dad was there immediately, reaching out to steady them but Katara flinched back, pulling Aang closer to her, “Don’t touch him,” the words came out like acid but she didn’t take them back.

“Katara,” her dad stepped forward, “You need help, let me help you.”

“I just-” she stopped, because as much as she didn’t want to admit it, he was right, she did need help. There was no way she would be able to carry him down those steps and into a room without collapsing. “Fine, you can carry him to his room, but be careful.”

Her dad nodded and picked her friend up gently, and wow, Aang looked so small in his arms. So small and so fragile, like a stiff wind could blow him away. She felt the need to cry again but shoved it down as far as she could and followed behind her flower. When they got there she said, “Place him on his stomach and then you can go, I’ll take it from here.”

He placed the small looking boy down onto the bed and then turned to look at her, “I’ll send someone to help you.”

“I said I’ll take it from here. He’s my friend, I can take care of him.”

“Katara-”

“I said I’m fine!” Katara threw her arms out, turning away from her father and moving to uncork her waterskin. He was still there when her hands started glowing, but she heard his footsteps move away once they touched Aang’s back. His clothes around the wound were ripped and his entire outfit was covered in a layer of grime from the battle. She’d need to change him, and give him a bath while she was at it.

Katara wondered when he would wake up, if it would be in a few hours, a few days, a few weeks. She hoped it wasn’t the latter, she doesn’t know if she could handle worrying over her friend for that long. Her bending was starting to tire and she moved the water back into her waterskin so she could sit back. She was so tired but she didn’t want to leave him, what if he woke up and needed her, what if he started groaning in his sleep again and needed another healing session. No, she had to be with him to make sure he was ok.

But maybe…

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt if she closed her eyes for a little, after all the bed was more than big enough for the two of them. Katara crawled up onto the bed next to her dearest friend and grabbed onto his hand before closing her eyes. “You’re going to be ok Aang, I promise.”


	2. Hakoda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His daughter really was something special.

Hakoda couldn’t help but notice that he only saw his daughter in fleeting moments when she was gathering supplies. She looked drawn and haggard, like she could use a good night's sleep or three. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms like when she was a little girl and rock her to sleep, if only to bring her a moment of peace. His daughter was wasting away right before his eyes and there was nothing he could do.

“She’s going to be ok you know,” Sokka’s voice next to him caused Hakoda to startle and he looked over to his son. “Katara is the strongest person I know, so if anyone can handle this it’s her.”

“She’s just a kid Sokka, she shouldn’t have to be taking care of her friend, who’s in a coma. She shouldn’t be on this warship, headed to battle the Fire Nation.”

“ Dad, Katara hasn’t been a kid since mom died and you left. She’s spent her whole life taking care of me. Heck, she took care of basically the entire village.” He gave a weary sigh, and Hakoda knew that his son was right, Katara had too much responsibility, too much trauma thrust on her as a child. She was a woman now, in mind if not body. “ She just needs your support, she needs to know that you are there for her and backing her up.”

“You’re so smart Sokka, have I ever told you that?”

Sokka beamed up at him, “Yeah, but you could stand to say it again.”

\---  
Hakoda had woken up with his mouth desert dry and so got up to head to the kitchen. He was just rounding the corner when a flash of blue caught his eye, leading towards the Avatar’s quarters. Slowly, he padded in the direction the blue had led until he found himself standing in front of the Avatar’s door.

He was torn between opening the door and trying to get her daughter back to her own room, or letting it go and continuing his search for water. Sokka had been right, his daughter was more than capable of making her own decisions, heck, she’d probably seen more of the world than he had at this point, probably been in just as many battles. She was still his daughter though, and no matter how old she got he would always worry about her. 

His overprotectiveness won out and he opened the door. Hakoda didn’t know what he had expected to see but looking upon her in the Avatar’s bed, curled up next to him with one hand on his chest was still a surprise. His daughter’s face was peaceful, though, more content than he’d seen in the entire time he’d been on this ship and that’s the only reason he’s able to pull himself out of that room without reacting embarrassingly.

Hakoda wondered if they’d always slept together or if this only happened after the Avatar had gotten hurt. He briefly entertained the notion of asking Sokka before throwing out that idea. It wasn’t really important and he’d honestly rather not know anyways.

\---

Katara hadn’t been in the mess hall with them for dinner so he headed towards the one place he knew she’d be. Fishing had been scarce and they had all been wondering if Katara’s bending would be helpful in replenishing their supply. He wouldn’t know until he asked her but it couldn’t hurt to try. Hakoda honestly had no idea how waterbending worked, only having heard stories from his mother. All of the waterbenders in the south pole had long since been hunted down and killed and he thanked the spirits everyday that his daughter had been spared.

Hakoda was so consumed with his thoughts that he didn’t bother knocking before he’d entered the room and immediately regretted the lack of forethought. The boy was on his back, dressed only in his underthings while Katara ran a wet cloth down his chest, humming to herself. He hadn’t really thought about it, or maybe hadn’t wanted to, but of course the Avatar would have needed to be changed and bathed. 

He felt like he was intruding on an intimate moment, could feel her love for the boy in the gentle passes she made with the cloth. Hakoda went to shut the door without alerting his daughter to the fact that he’d been inside, but of course the door let out a screech and Katara whipped her head to him, throwing a blanket over the Avatar lightning fast.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude, the crew and I had a question.” He noticed the blush on her cheeks and rubbed the back of his neck, looking away at one of the tapestries on the wall. The rest of his question came out in a rush, “The fishing has been difficult lately and our supplies are dwindling dangerously and we were wondering if your waterbending would be able to help us. Sokka said you probably could, he’s been boasting about your talents since you all landed on the boat.”

Katara looks at him wide eyes for a moment before saying, “I can’t promise there will be fish to hunt but if there are I’m sure I could help. I need to finish his bath and feed him so tomorrow morning we can fish.”

He nodded and she turned away from him without saying anything more. He was about to take that as his cue to leave, but before he did Hakoda stopped to say, “I’m proud of you, you know. More than you could ever imagine. I know you can handle this yourself, but on the off chance you need me, I’ll be here.”

It was obvious to him now, how much her daughter loved this boy and he felt a sadness in his heart that the young Avatar might never wake up. He knew the toll of losing the one you loved and he would give anything in the world for his daughter to never feel that pain.


	3. Sokka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka just wished they would stop being so dense.

The day that Aang woke up Sokka wanted to cry tears of happiness, but if he thought he was happy he couldn’t even imagine how Katara felt. He’s surprised that Aang didn’t sustain another injury with the force that Katara slammed into him and how tightly she squeezed him. Sokka was next in line but he could see Katara looking at him anxiously while he hugged the boy, so he kept the hug short and sweet. He laughed a little when his sister immediately attached herself to Aang again, smoothly blocking off anyone else who may have wanted to greet their friend.

Aang’s face behind Katara’s hair was still confused but he could see the joy on the young Avatar’s face for being held by her. Sokka wasn’t stupid, he knew the two had feelings for each other, even though they both tried to hide it. He’d seen the way they looked at each other when they thought the other was distracted, and the way Katara always set up her sleeping bag a little closer to Aang.

He didn’t even think she realized it, but Katara had not once let go of Aang since he’d woken up. They’d been talking for a while, catching up a very confused and increasingly angry Aang and Sokka could see his sister’s worry start to spike again. Her hand moved from the boy's shoulder, to his leg, to his hand, to his neck. She was fretting over him again and for his part Aang didn’t seem to mind, he even leaned into her touches, pressing into her for comfort.

Sokka felt horrible suddenly, realizing that this was the second time that Aang had woken up someplace and sometime unfamiliar, with the world thinking he had left them to suffer once again. He couldn’t blame the boy for his anger. Katara seemed to be thinking the same thing, her eyes filled with this unbearable sense of pain for the boy. Sokka thought of himself and Yue and had to look away from the two.

Katara had been so strong their whole lives, after their mom died he could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen her cry, she just stepped up and took their moms position. Without her he wouldn’t have made it, the loss of their mom would have crippled him, she was his rock. But with Aang, with Aang things were different, the way she’d reacted when he’d been hurt had pained Sokka to watch. 

He could only hope that Aang survived his next battle because he doesn’t think Katara could handle losing him.

\---

The Fire Nation was a different beast to anything he encountered before. And it was hot, so very hot. It felt good to change into their newly acquired clothes, even though they were Fire Nation fashion. “How do I look?” Katara’s voice drew Sokka out from admiring himself and he looked up to his sister.

“You- you, uh, you look good.” Aang’s voice was so awkward that Sokka had to hold back a snigger. The boy looked so earnest though, with a bright blush high on his cheeks, and when he looked back at Katara he noticed that she was blushing too now. These two were going to be the death of him. He could see clearly that both of them were too chicken to tell each other their feelings, and he wished he could just smack their heads together to shock some common sense into them.

The rest of the day the two of them subconsciously circled each other, constantly within arms reach and whispering into each other's ears like Toph and Sokka didn’t exist. At lunch they sat so close they’re practically glued together. Aang wanders off after lunch for some reason or the other that Sokka didn’t even pretend to pay attention to. He’s promptly forgotten as Sokka gets sucked into his shopping, only to be drawn out again by Katara.

“It’s been a couple hours, usually he’s not gone this long, do you think he’s ok?” She bit her thumbnail and tapped out a quick rhythm with her foot. “What if- what if he’s hurt again. What if he needs me?”

“Katara, like you said, it’s only been a couple hours and Aang is at full power again. And besides Azula got a lucky shot, there’s no way that’s gonna happen again.” Her face shuts off and he knows in that instant that bringing Azula up was the wrong thing to do. He feels bad but he doesn’t know how to fix it so he just says, “Aang will be ok, maybe he just can’t find us in this maze of a market, let’s go back to the cave so he knows exactly where we are.”

“Well alright, but if he’s not back by sundown we are going to go looking for him.”

“Deal.”

\---

A dance party. Aang wanted them to throw a bunch of Fire Nation school kids a dance party. Sokka doesn’t think he’d ever danced himself, how was he supposed to show other people how it was done. It was no matter anyways, Aang was determined, and when Aang was determined he made things happen. He was good at that, bringing people together and somehow just always making things better. When that boy put his mind to it there was nothing he couldn’t do. Sokka supposed that was what made him such a good Avatar, even at 13 years old.

His sister looked excited for the party, and even though Toph tried to keep her face impassive he could tell she was excited too. When the party actually did start and kids started trickling in Sokka couldn’t help but marvel at the amount of kids Aang had managed to convince to come. One girl in particular made a beeline for Aang as soon as she arrived and he could see Katara’s gaze lock onto her immediately, while trying to seem like she wasn’t staring the girl down.

The young Avatar had a big smile on his face when talking to the cute girl. He wishes he could tell Katara that she didn’t have to worry, because the smile Aang was giving that girl was nothing compared to the blinding beams that he gives her. The boy had walked away from his classmate though, and was now trying to get the others to dance by showing them classic dance moves. He was pretty good too, Sokka was impressed.

“Who knew twinkle toes could dance,” Toph laughed and the siblings had no other choice but to agree wholeheartedly.

Aang seemingly ran out of dances and the kids slowly filtered onto the dance floor, awkwardly moving their bodies to the music. He didn’t see him coming but suddenly, the boy was stopping sharp in front of Katara and asking her to dance. He could see his sister pretend to debate whether or not she would go, but knew it was all a pretense to not seem so eager. Sokka watched as his friend and sister reached the center of the dance floor and started to move together, the other kids backed up to form a circle and watched in awe as the pair danced. 

Alone Aang was a good dancer, but together, with Katara, he seemed nothing short of phenomenal and even his sister was surprisingly talented. The two moved together like yin and yang, like the flow of water through a spring, pushing and pulling, giving and taking. Sokka felt like he was watching a private moment and fought not to look away. Looking away would have made it weird, they were just dancing after all. 

He thought, however, that maybe this was more than just dancing. He could see emotion in the way they moved, something raw, and wondered if his sister and friend would ever pull their heads out of their butts and just get together.


	4. Toph

Toph would never admit it, but she was actually really good at reading other people’s emotions. Being able to see with her feet helped her to feel heartbeats, and heartbeats don’t lie. Plus, since she can’t see Toph has always had to pay more attention to the tone of people’s voices and the way they say things, not just what they say. So, in a nutshell, Aang and Katara were not difficult people to read. The way their heartbeats always sped up when they got close, or the soft way of speaking they both had with each other.

She can hear Twinkle Toes now, talking quietly with Katara on the other side of camp, their heads ducked low together. “What if I mess this up Katara, what if I hurt someone again? What if I hurt you again?” Toph made a mental note to ask Sokka what Aang was talking about; he’d hurt Katara? She couldn’t see him ever doing that, “I’m just scared.”

“It’s ok to be scared Aang,” She could feel the older girl grip tight onto his shoulder, “Zuko is going to do everything he can to teach you, you’ll be a firebender in no time. Think of how fast you mastered all of the other elements! You were already an airbending master at 12, tattoos and all, and now you’ve also managed to perfect waterbending and earthbending. You can do anything you set your mind to.”

Aang was shaking his head but he said out loud, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face, “Zuko said the key to firebending is passion, but the monks always taught me that getting too attached was bad. What if I don’t have that passion?”

“Aang, you are one of the most passionate people I know, you put your full self into everything you do and you feel so much for other people.” Toph couldn’t help but agree, she didn’t know how he couldn’t see that everything he did, he did with passion. She still remembers the day he came to her house, how angry he was when he realized that her parents treated her like an invalid and how hard he tried to help her gain independence. He even went out of his way, faced danger and death, to save people who didn’t deserve saving.

She tuned back in but they weren’t talking anymore, but she could feel them hugging tightly, how fast their hearts were beating. Ridiculous. And people acted like Toph was the one bad at emotions.

\---

The day Aang took his trip with Zuko to find the original source of fire bending, Katara was a mess. All Toph wanted was a nice midday nap in the sun, but the waterbender wouldn’t shut up about twinkle toes and how much danger he could be in with Zuko. She still wasn't sure if they could trust him or not.

“Katara, I’d be able to hear if Zuko was lying to us, and so far he’s been nothing but honest. Twinkle Toes is going to be fine.” She picked a piece of dirt from between her toes and flicked it in the other girls direction, satisfied when Katara recoiled. “Besides, Zuko never managed to kill him before and now Aang has three elements under his belt. Have a little more faith in your boyfriend.”

“My boyfriend? Aang is not my boyfriend, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The waterbender's heart was pounding so loud it felt like it was about to jump right out of her chest and make a run for it.

Toph heaved a great sigh, “Listen, Katara, first off I’m not an idiot, anyone can see that you have feelings for each other. Second, I can feel your heartbeats get faster every time you get even remotely close. And third, I’m not stupid.”

Katara was practically vibrating now but she sat down next to Toph with a broken sound, “Oh man, is it that obvious?” Toph thought she might be crying and she suddenly regretted bringing the subject up.

“Honey, I’m pretty sure everyone knows, and Zuko only just got here.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anyways, there’s too much going on, I mean, he has to defeat the Fire Lord in what seems like mere hours.” Toph couldn’t argue there, life was not light and breezy for them.

“Obviously, I have faith in us, and Aang's ability to destroy the Fire Lord; but on the off chance we fail…. Well, maybe you should tell Twinkle Toes before we go into battle.”

___

It’s not that Toph liked to spy on people, but it seemed like everytime she found a nice, secluded place for her nap, someone had to go and ruin it. This time it was Twinkle Toes and Zuko for one of their lessons. She could hear the roar of fire as they shot it into dead space. Zuko’s blasts sounded louder than Aang’s, though she might just be imagining that.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Zuko growled, “You’re being too hesitant, you need to throw your entire self into bending fire. Find something in you that you feel passion for and use that as a fuel for your fire.”

“I don’t know what I’m passionate about though. I’ve never thought about it before.” He sounded a little sad at the thought.  
“Well, what’s something you love?” Zuko prodded, more gently than she thought he could.

“Um, I love traveling.” She could feel him rub his hand against his chin, as if in deep thought, “I love Appa? And my friends?”

“Well...ok, I’m not sure how well those will work but we can try.” He stepped back and gestured for Aang to go again. She hoped for his sake that it worked, but she doubted it would. Those things he named, they were all good but they didn’t get his heart racing or his blood pumping. She knew what would though.

Toph’s suspicions were confirmed when she heard the pathetic rumble of Aang’s fire. Zuko slapped a hand to his forehead and then rubbed the back of his neck, “Alright, so let’s try something different.”

“Different how?”

“Have you ever had a crush on someone? Like someone that made you feel like you’d do anything for them?” Aang was suddenly still as a statue and she knew exactly where his mind had gone. Apparently, Zuko had caught on too because he ordered, “Alright, think of her and do it again. Fire fist, right now!”

Aang pushed into his stance and three movements later fire was shooting from his closed fist and into the air with the loudest of roars. Toph could feel the heat of his flame from her hidden place in the back of the room and sucked in a sharp breath. Sometimes she forgot just how powerful Aang was when he didn’t have his head lodged firmly up his butt.

The two continued with their training, now with an unrestrained Avatar the heat became too much for her to bear. Toph packed up the few things she had brought with her and was on the move before the others could spot her. She debated telling Katara that just the thought of her had helped Aang unlock his potential but decided against it. Toph had already made the mistake of having one conversation with the waterbender about her feelings and she wasn’t about to do it again.


	5. Aang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang couldn't imagine a minute without her.

Aang’s first thought when he defeated Ozai was of Katara. He hadn’t been able to see her before the battle and he hoped to all things holy that she was safe. Behind him Toph, Sokka, and Suki had touched down onto his pedestal of rock. His friends were joking around, calling the no longer Fire Lord ridiculous names, but he could see the stress in their faces.

“Where’s Katara,” he asked. 

Sokka put a hand on his shoulder, “She went with Zuko to the Fire Nation to defeat Azula. Someone needed to be there to take the throne once Ozai was stopped and Zuko needed help if he was going to be the one to do it.”

Aang nodded and walked over to Ozai, “Help me get him tied up and let’s get back to the Order of the White Lotus, I’m sure they’ve taken back the city by now.” His voice was tight and he hoped his friends didn’t take insult. He wasn’t mad at them in the slightest, but his panic over Katara, mixed with the leftover adrenaline of his fight, was making him present as if he was.

He hoped that by the time they reached the city, which was going to be pretty soon judging by how fast these airships could fly, that Katara was there with Appa, waiting for them. Waiting for him. He needed to see her with his own two eyes, see that she was alive and breathing and whole. He needed to hug her and feel with his own two arms that she was there and that she was real.

Aang blinked and then they were in the palace of Ba Sing Se, handing Ozai over to the order and explaining just why, infact, he was not dead. They all seemed to be awed with his answer, giving the once all powerful Fire Lord a disdainful once over. They all had so many questions but he was so tired of talking, so tired in general. Every fiber of his being was exhausted but somehow he knew that if he were to lay down, sleep would not come.

He had just turned towards the doors to leave when they opened and Katara was striding into the room. Aang’s chest was suddenly so full of air and happiness and relief that it felt like he might burst. He wanted to call out to her but no sound came and he could only watch and wait as she looked around the room and her gaze finally fell on him.

“Aang!” A smile broke on her face and she was running towards him at full force, slamming into him like a bag of rocks. He didn’t even stumble when she made contact, just pulled her up into his arms and held her close. “I was so worried about you; and I hadn’t even gotten a chance to say good-bye.”

“I’m sorry, I was called in my sleep to a spirit island which turned out to be a giant lion turtle, who taught me how to bend the energy inside all of us so I could take away Ozai’s bending, instead of having to kill him.” He sucked in a deep gulp of air, having not taken a single breath in his sentence. Katara was shaking under him and he thought she was crying until she tilted her face up.

The waterbender was laughing at him, “Only you Aang. With anyone else I’d be sure they were lying to me, but with you? Well, I’m not even the littlest bit surprised.”

___

After their initial reunion Aang and Katara didn’t get to speak, there were too many meetings and other things just as boring that the two were dragged around to. He was in his rooms now though, having been given what seemed like an entire wing of the palace. It was so late by the time he’d gotten to his living quarters that he didn’t bother trying to find Katara’s room, he assumed she would already be sleeping.

He took a bath like he’d never taken before, so hot and long he didn't want to ever leave. He was in the bedroom now though, toweling his shoulders dry, when the door opened and Katara’s dark head popped in. He sat up ramrod straight, suddenly very aware that he was only in his under things, and said, “Katara! What are you doing here- I thought you were sleeping.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she admitted, “My body is so tired but my mind is racing a million miles a minute. I just can’t get it to shut up.”

“I can understand that, a lot has happened today. Heck, a lot has happened in this past year. We’re here now though, we’re safe and together and that’s all that matters.” He flushed as Katara stepped into the room and made a beeline for his bed. She sat down next to him and she was so close that he could feel the heat radiating off her.

“There’s something I wanted to say to you, before. You know, before the battle and everything, but I guess I’ll just say it now.” She looked so scared all of a sudden, like there was anything she could say that would make him turn away from her. The waterbender opens and closes her mouth a few times before Aang cuts in.

“Whatever it is, I promise that it will be ok.” He placed a hand over hers and tried to be as comforting as he could, “There’s nothing you could say to me that would make me judge you negatively.”

“I know, it’s just nerve wracking, you know? Putting yourself out there is just so hard,” Putting herself out there, was she talking about what he thought she was talking about? He really hoped so because his excitement had raised so quickly and being wrong would be a major punch to the gut. “We’ve spent nearly every day together for the past year, every single day and honestly that’s enough to make anyone go crazy. I wanted to kill Sokka and Toph at times, every so often I’d get mad at them for no reason at all, except for that they were there. But with you, with you I couldn’t get enough. I didn’t want less of you but more, to be able to have time together, just us.”

Katara has moved closer to Aang in the time she’d been talking and she was practically in his lap now. For his part, Aang’s entire body felt flushed, like one wrong move could ignite him. He’d never been so happy in his life, he wanted to cry just from the sheer joy. Today had been so stressful and now look where they were, safe with each other deep in the Earth Kingdom. He’d started to feel like he was a repellant for anything good, but here she was, confessing feelings for him. Aang had loved her for so long, from the first day he met her and more so every day since.

“You told me once that you had feelings for me and I hope that’s still true. I love you Aang, more than I could have ever imagined when you first escaped your iceberg. I hope that whatever we do next, we can do it together.”

He was stunned, he’d known where she was going and still was shocked at actually hearing the words. She loved him. Oh man, she loved him. This was so great, he wanted to spend forever in this moment, but then her lips were on his and Aang thought, no, this is the moment he would spend forever in. Her lips were soft against his own and she smelled warm and like wildflowers, and when her hand touched his chest a wave of something he couldn’t name rocked through him.

There was a short second, while his brain was still coming to terms with the fact that the woman he loved was kissing him, when he forgot to kiss back. Katara started to pull away and he jumped into action, moving his lips against hers and nipping at her plush bottom lip. When his teeth made contact she let out a gasp and then their kisses were hot and wet and searching.

They kissed until their lips were both red and swollen and their eyes were drooped with the need for sleep. When they were done and satisfied Katara stripped herself off her pants and tunic and got under the covers with Aang. She kept a leg draped over his own and a hand upon his heart and he wondered if she could feel how fast it was beating.

“You know,” he said, “I was never able to picture a future before, my life never seemed to continue past this fight with the Fire Lord. But here with you, I’m thinking we could have a beautiful life.”


End file.
